Jer. 1:9, 10

"'Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"

The young prophet Jeremiah had protested to the God who commissioned him by saying, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” (1:6). God responded by extending His hand, touching Jeremiah’s mouth, and making him a channel of the very words of God. Since we too have the delegated authority of the Word of God, let’s exercise it! As we pray, let’s confidently ask God to accomplish His revealed will among the nations and resist the evil one’s activity among these people groups. Above all, let’s ask the Lord Jesus to “plant” and “build” His church within each human society.

Lord Jesus, we ask that You establish Your church within every one of the unreached peoples.

Muslim Abala and Hotia Arabs

For centuries, disputes between Arab tribes in Darfur have been settled by the sheiks and elders, but how do you resolve issues when there are so many of them, and the atrocities keep becoming more brutal?

Early last year, a young man from the semi-nomadic cow-herding Arab Hotia tribe assaulted a woman from the nomadic, camel-herding Arab Abala tribe. Normally, the sheiks and elders would get together to decide on a fine for the aggressor. But this time, the situation wasn’t that simple.

Such conflicts in Darfur have been going on for over four years, and patience is wearing thin. What the man did was retaliation against the woman’s Abala people, many of whom are suspected members of the government sponsored janjaweed militias. In this tit-for-tat cycle of vengeance and retaliation, innocent people like this young woman are mere pawns.

Though both Arab groups have animosity towards one another, they both agree when it comes to religious issues. Both groups, like all the other Arab groups you will pray for this month, are Sunni Muslims.

Pray that these needy ones will meet the Risen Lord, and that through His power they will find a reconciliation that will glorify His Name throughout Africa. Pray for an end to vengeance and violence in Darfur.-KC